1 Corinthians 5, we'll begin
in chapter one. 1 Corinthians 5, one. And this chapter pretty much wants to be looked at all together,
and so we'll try to do that. First Corinthians 5.1, it is
reported commonly that there is fornication among you and
such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles
that one should have his father's wife. And by and large, for the most
part, preachers Preachers of the gospel
do and should stay out of people's business. People's personal business
after 40 years of either being a pastor or being very near the
pastor. There's no doubt in my mind that
that's best. If we confront every issue, if
we look for things in one another, we're gonna find them. The preacher
pretty much knows about everything, whether you think he does or
not. And if we confront everything, every time we see somebody making
a mistake or trouble brewing or have something we would really
like to say to people, then there could never be a church like
that. There could never be a local church. It just couldn't exist
on those grounds. That is not the business of God's
preacher nor the need of God's people. It's the word of God. It's the
scriptures that are profitable for rebuke, for doctrine and for instruction
in righteousness. It's spiritual truth that results
in practical obedience. in practical wisdom and discretion. To correct bad behavior, you
don't need to hear somebody tell you how bad it is. I'm pretty
sure you know already. That wouldn't stop you anyway. You need to hear of Christ. When there is a situation like
what was occurring in the Corinthian church here, the preacher has
to deal with it. That's obvious here. And Paul
didn't deal with it privately. He addresses it in a letter to
the whole church. Sometimes things can be dealt
with privately, but this was a matter that had affected the
whole church. So he addresses the whole church
and it was apparently common knowledge anyway But this is a cancer in the body
of Christ and people's Sensitivities and certainly people's self-righteous
pretense are ignored for the sake of dealing with the problem Now this was almost certainly
this man's stepmother and And I'm sure there are those who
rationalized it. This church was not in a good
place in reaction to this. And knowing human nature and from our own experiences,
I'm sure there were people that rationalized it. Well, they were
both adults. They weren't really related to
one another. We need to understand though
that the sacred trust of marriage and parenthood are not to be
rationalized away by modern thought or evil motive. Not before God now. And it seems that the church
here, at least for the most part, had done exactly that. He said in verse two, you're
puffed up and you have not rather mourned
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among
you. And I want you to notice there
are some beautiful, beautiful teachings in this passage. May God help us never to miss
the forest for the trees and getting blinded, I guess, in
a sense by the specific situation that this was and miss the beautiful
spiritual truth here. He didn't say you're puffed up
and have not rather gotten angry. He didn't say you're puffed up,
you're insensitive to this and have not rather gotten on the
war path about it. He said, the problem is that
this didn't break your heart. It's a matter of mourning. It should make everyone terribly
sad that this happened. It should break hearts and there's
just one thing to do about it. We're not punishers. It doesn't say take this guy
out and make him wish he was never born, but he's a goner. It's that simple,
he's a goner. They were puffed up in it. Are we that messed up that we're
puffed up even over our sin? I'm sure some were puffed up
in defending him. And others were puffed up in
indignation over having an actual sinner in their midst. And all of them were subject
to this rebuke. by the apostle, the problem's
got to be done away with. It's got to be taken away. That's
the answer. That's the biblical, scriptural
thing to do. It's got to be taken away and
worship resumed. Worship resumed. Not murmuring,
not blame laying, not self-righteousness, not resentment, worship. Worship. Heartbreak. Empathy. and worship. For I verily in verse three,
he said as absent in the body, but present in spirit have judged
already. There's nothing more to talk
about. Let's don't get everybody together and hash it out, you
know, and say, I've judged already as though
I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed. Paul was present in the spirit. He doesn't judge this situation
or make judgments as a cold bystander. He said, I'm with you in spirit
on this. We're in this together. He cared
for these people. And though he couldn't be with
them present at the time, he wasn't firsthand witness to the
development of this situation or the details of the problem,
but it wasn't complicated. It was commonly reported. There
was no confusion about what needed to be done. So look at verse
four, verses four and five together. In the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, for Christ's sake, and in consideration of his honor
and his glory, as his children, as his body, when you're gathered
together, and my spirit I'll be there with you in my heart
with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not just
people judging. This is not a worm telling another
worm how bad of a worm he is. This is in Christ's name for
the sake of the Lord Jesus. He's the reason we're here. He's
the reason we worship together. He's our common bond. He's the
reason we do not, by His grace, take something like this lightly. For Christ's sake, not because
we're mad, not because we're better, not because we're too
holier than thou to have somebody like this in our midst. If we start throwing out all
the sinners, The last two will have to throw
each other out at the same time. And there won't be anybody left.
As heartbreaking and as destructive as something like this is, the
lesson is not we're better than that. In the name of Christ and with
the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, we don't do anything
by our own authority. We look to God to see what to
do in a situation like that. Our hearts are not gonna guide
us in this. The word of God is. How is a sinner gonna cast out
another sinner? on the authority of him who knew
no sin. That's how, and only that way. Only that way. And this is not, and I may disagree
a little bit with, with some people that I highly,
highly respect and love on this, but it's not a vital matter. I don't feel like this was some
mystical power that Paul had as an apostle to deliver people
over to Satan. I think he's just simply saying
that by banning this man from worshiping Christ, if this man
is a believer in the Son of God, you think about this. If he lives as we do and should
and must to worship our Lord, if everything revolves around him, that's the worst
thing you can do to somebody. You say, you can't worship here
anymore. That's my family. That's my savior. Where can I
worship then? I don't know, maybe nowhere for
a long time, maybe never. I don't know. And what will happen will be
that his spirit will desire nothing more than to be restored to the
worship of the Lord. He's gonna desire that above
all else if he's truly a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Right? Nothing else much is gonna matter
than that. Restored to worship and fellowship
with the Lord and with his people, that's gonna be his only desire.
And that will be what will destroy his fleshly appetites, his lust
and strengthen him in the spirit. the truth is gonna come out on
him then, right? It's gonna be forced. The situation
is gonna be a dire one. And the effect is gonna be to mitigate and to crucify his flesh,
he's gonna be sorry, isn't he? He's gonna regret, he's gonna
realize that what he thought was worth it at the time has
cost him something it is unthinkable to lose. That's the destruction of the
flesh in this context. Not killing him, that's not what
he's talking about. His flesh is gonna be, Devastated,
reeled in. I don't know how to say it, but
I hope you know what I'm saying. He's gonna realize what his flesh
cost him. And the spirit is gonna get hungry. It's gonna immediately, the new
heart is gonna crave what it lost. If he is just an exposed unbeliever
that has been faking it all along, then he won't care much, and
you'll probably never see him again. But if he loves the Lord Jesus
Christ, the result of this, what Paul says must happen, will be
that before long his flesh, his lust, will be destroyed. in this
matter at least, and his spirit will be saved, restored. Hunger for Christ and care about
nothing else. And what a lesson here that,
being outside the church, being unwelcome in the fellowship of
the saints, in the public worship of God is referred to as a delivering
unto Satan. That pretty much, that describes
it real well, doesn't it? To be isolated to yourself is
to be delivered unto Satan because And of course, if he's a believer,
he's not left alone, thank God. The Lord never leaves his people.
But in the sense of losing the fellowship of believers in the
public worship, to be alone is to be prey, right? But Paul does this, notice this
now, notice the motive for Paul doing this. It's not punishment
even. It's to save him. We're gonna have to find out
whether his flesh is what he's all about or whether Christ is
what he's all about. We're gonna have to find out
and this is how that happens. Even in this evil, he cared for
this man's soul. How can we not as sinners ourselves? I learned from a pastor friend
of mine that this passage we're about to look at together was
written about this same man. And I never understood, I never
knew that. And I believe that's right. Look at 2 Corinthians
2. 2 Corinthians chapter two, verse
four. Referring to 1 Corinthians, that
letter, Paul says, for out of much affliction and anguish of
heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should
be agreed, but that you might know the love which I have more
abundantly unto you. "'But if any have caused grief,
he hath not grieved me, "'but in part, that I may not overcharge
you all. "'Sufficient to such a man is
this punishment, "'which was inflicted of many, "'so that
contrarywise, you ought rather to forgive him "'and comfort
him, plus perhaps such a one "'should be swallowed up with
overmuch sorrow.'" True repentance. It's not a pleasant
thing. It's not a pleasant thing, it's
necessary, it's good. Wherefore I beseech you that
you would confirm your love toward him. Is he talking about that
same fellow? For to this end also did I write,
that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient
in all things. Oh my, this will test us, won't
it? It'll test you. To whom you forgive
anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to
whom I forgave it for your sakes, forgave I it in the person of
Christ. Lest Satan should get an advantage
of us, for we're not ignorant of his devices. Oh. Don't let
us be ignorant, Lord, of his devices. He didn't have anything
in our Lord and our Savior, but he has something in us, doesn't
he? Oh, God help us now. Love, forgive, be compassionate. And now that it's clear what
needs to be done about this fornicator, let's talk about you, Paul says.
Look at verse six. Your glory is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven
leaveneth a whole lump? To heap tragedy upon tragedy,
this evil is not isolated to the one man. It never is. It
never is, it spread through the whole church. Not the same deed,
but the evil, the evil spread. And so Paul asks them rhetorically
here, I mean, it's a question that should be answered in our
hearts. Don't you see and don't you understand how that this
one sin has affected, it infected the whole church? Don't you see
that? a little bit 11, well, it's just
a moment of weakness or whatever. Don't cover over that. Don't underestimate the damage
that's done by that. What was fleshly lust in one
has caused fleshly glorying in everybody else, one way or the
other. Look at verse seven, purge out
therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump as you
are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover
is sacrificed for us. What is the reason that Paul
gives these exhortations and these simple instructions to
this church where this horrible thing happened. Christ. His glory, the honor
of Christ's name. And Christ is our motivation
to honor Christ. He's the reason this has to be
dealt with this way. and he's our motivation and do
it, Christ our... He was sacrificed for us. Not only this man in
question, which he's clearly talking about,
he's still arguing, he's got to go. I don't care how good
a friend he is to y'all and how much of a brother he's been.
And look, we don't know the situation here.
But this may have been the most respected man in the church.
It can happen to any of us, right? We're all sinners, we're all
susceptible. The Lord may never teach us that in this world. He may never teach
us that, but I sure hope he does. But not only is he saying purge
out the leaven of this evil among you, but also since tolerating
that sin is giving everybody a false sense of what's acceptable
and the glory in it. Your children are seeing how
you react to things. Your friends in the world see
how you react to things. Other believers will see. And
everything's contaminated by your lack of shame, your lack
of repentance, your lack of desire to honor the Lord in this. It
affects everybody. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter
four. Please. I want us to see some particular
language here that puts so much perspective on this, such vital
perspective on this. Look at verse 20. But you have
not so learned Christ. You have not so learned Christ. If so be that you have heard
him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that
you put off concerning the former conduct, the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, wherefore
put away lying, speak every man the truth, for we are members,
be ye angry, sin not." Look at all that. And go back to verse
20 again. He doesn't say there, you have
not so learned the law that you don't, that these practical behavioral
exhortations are so necessary. He doesn't say you haven't so
learned the law. He doesn't say you haven't so
learned morality or church discipline, whatever that is. You have not
so learned Christ. It is your learning and knowledge
and understanding of Christ that keeps us, that motivates us, that changes
us, that you put on the new man,
which after God is created, That's not you making a decision. That's
God saying, let there be. You know how everything is created?
God says, whatever that is, be. That's how it's created. Faith
be. Is that not what he said to Doubting
Thomas? Be not faithless. Created. The new man created
in righteousness and true holiness. So put away lying. What have
you got to be dishonest about? What are you gonna get out of
lying to somebody? Speak every man truth with his
neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and
sin not. You ever get mad at yourself?
Have we ever said honestly like, Job, I abhor myself. What's wrong with me? And we
know the answer to that, don't we? Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Isn't that what
Paul just said? We're not ignorant of his devices. Don't start thinking you're better
or you deserve an explanation or something. Let him that stole, steal no
more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing
which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers. So much of what we say is destructive
rather than healing and comforting and beneficial. And grieve not
the Holy Spirit of God. whereby you're sealed unto the
day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice and be ye kind one to another. Tenderhearted,
forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you. What is it that precludes all
of these terrible things mentioned in that passage? What is it that
will prevent them and correct them and exhort us in them? Your learning of Christ, verse
20, your learning of Christ, learning of Christ, hearing of
Him, hearing His gospel, hearing who He is and what He did for
you, that's what'll do it. He's what'll do it. Now notice he said, as you are
unleavened, that phrase in the middle of verse seven, as you
are unleavened, there is a sense in which we are pure and holy,
a very real, a very wonderful sense in which you are unleavened
in Christ. But he's saying, be unleavened
then indeed, in your manner, in your living.
for Christ and not yourself. Our condition of spirit should
reflect in our behavior. You are unleavened. And our unleavening
in behavior and in service, it's not gonna be perfect, it's not
gonna be meritorious, nor need to be because Christ is all of
our righteousness. Christ is our Passover sacrificed
for us. That's why he says, you're unleavened,
you're clean. But it should honor him, our
behavior should honor him who loved us and was sacrificed for us. Now,
we're unleavened in the greatest sense because Christ is our Passover,
Christ the Lamb, sacrificed, slain in our place. under the
wrath of God for our sin. He's our substitute. He's our
sin offering. He's our righteousness. But for
God, we're unleavened. Now Paul's saying, let's act
like it. Christ is the goal. Christ is the motivation. And
Christ is the purpose for the reason we do what we do. In verse seven there, we're given
an exhortation. Something to do. And we're given
a motive for doing it. Christ. Something to do and the argument
for which to do it. And now here's the desired result.
Therefore, let us keep the feast. If we had time, we'd go back
to Exodus chapter 12 and we'd look and what it means to keep
the feast. We'll have to be brief about
that tonight. But keeping that feast doesn't mean going through
the exact thing that they did then. Christ is our Passover. There's no more need for Passover
day or Passover week or whatever, any ritualistic observance of
the Passover, because Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for
us. He is our acceptance with God.
He is why God doesn't kill us. A sinner died in every house. A substitute in the houses of the Israelites, a sin bearer. In every house without a lamb,
a sinner died. And that would be me, except
the Lamb of God has shed his blood in our place. Keep the feast, not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Let's worship the right way for
the right reason, and most importantly, the right one. The keeping of that Passover
feast was to celebrate the salvation of God wrought by the precious
blood of his lamb. Let's do that tonight. Let's
celebrate him. Instead of, as I said, getting
bogged down in the horrible, in the heartbreak. This is a
sad report. It's been reported among you
commonly. That's the title of this message,
Sad Report. But it's not a sad message. The message is an exhortation. Let's keep the feast. Let's remember
Him. Let's honor Him. Let's celebrate.
His precious blood that delivered us from the bondage of sin. I pray that's what we're doing
tonight. Though we no longer keep an actual feast, Christ
having fulfilled the types and pictures presented by the Old
Testament ordinances, we still worship God like they did. and by the same faith in Christ
with which they did, and for the same reason they did, because worthy is the lamb that
was slain. God forbid that we should glory.
Your glorying is not good, unless it be in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Now in the last five verses of
this chapter, let's read them and we'll see what that is. It's very clear. Back in 1 Corinthians 5, we'll look at the verse nine. I wrote unto you in an epistle
not to company with fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators
of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, "'idolaters,
for then you must needs go out of the world.'" You're not saying
don't have anything to do with fornicators. He said you'd have
to go, you'd have to find another planet to live on. Don't have anything to do with
covetous people or extortioners or with idolaters. He's not saying
that. But now I have written, verse
11, unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother
Be a fornicator. Someone who names the name of
Christ and claims to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
comes together to presumably worship with the
people of God or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or
an extortioner with such in one, no, not to eat. For what have
I to do to judge them also that are without? He said, I can't
judge the whole world. The business of the church is
not to make the world a better place. We're going to fail if that's
what our mission is. But do not you judge them that
are within? Don't we have some discretion
and something to say about what happens in God's church? Has
not God made us stewards of his grace in so much that we can't
just ignore that which dishonors him. But them that are without, God
judges. That's God's business. He hasn't given us that business,
has he? But what he has taught us to
do is put away from yourselves, that wicked person. God can't
be worshiped and dishonored in the same room and it'd be okay. Not openly like that, not in
such a way that everybody's thinking about sin instead of, or everybody's
got feelings of this or that and they're not able to worship
the Lord. So Paul clarifies, he doesn't
mean for us to have nothing to do with bad people in this world.
Or as he said in verse 10, there are only bad people in this world. But that doesn't mean that open
rebellion to the gospel and unrepentant evil is to be tolerated in God's
church. For Christ's sake, it cannot
be. In his name and by his authority, we reject it. We can only do that. You notice there's been a difference
made between the world and unbelievers. You see that in that passage?
There's a difference. It's the difference that Christ
makes. There's no difference between us and the world, except
Christ has called us apart. to this little place where nobody's
from nowhere in the middle of nowhere. Sinners gathering together and
taking comfort in our Savior. Let's keep the feast. Oh, everything that that feast
was all about, the blood, salvation, by the precious blood of God's
lamb. Let's keep the feast, not in
ritual, not in fleshly works, not with malice or wickedness
in our hearts, but without leaven, without the flesh. May we always look to the Lord
and ask him, Lord, put away our flesh. Don't let our flesh get
in the way. with sincere faith from God that
looks to Christ, our sacrifice sacrificed for us. And in truth,
that is also without the leaven of false doctrine. You remember
when the Lord said, beware the leaven of the Pharisees, he was
talking about their lies about God. That's leaven too. And also mentioned here, For
even the Passover was eaten with unleavened bread. Christ is to be worshiped in
sincerity and truth. And may him that keeps us make
it so.